After She Left
by accioamber
Summary: a story from Jenny's POV after she leaves Forrest, after they sleep together. Will continue, through her pregnancy and building her life with Little Forrest. Please read and review! :


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the scenes that were in the movie...just the extra stuff I added in. :)

A/N: I just watched this movie and an idea popped into my head. What if I wrote a story about all the things that might have happened after Jenny left Forrest, when she got pregnant? This is the result. Please read and review, if you could!

* * *

Jenny knew as soon as Forrest told her he knew what love was that she would be leaving in the morning. And after they'd slept together, she had an even deeper affirmation. She felt like writing him a letter, explaining why she was gone. She would tell him about how she couldn't stay with him, because she loved him too much. She was too broken for him to be with, and as far as she could tell, she had never done much good in her life.

But she knew a letter would just upset Forrest more than it would comfort him, and if Jenny could do one thing, it would be to spare his feelings as much as possible. So before the pink of the dawn kissed the sky, she slipped out of bed and went into one of the many spare bedrooms of the huge house where she had been sleeping.

She didn't have much. As she'd traveled through the years, she had learned to carry only exactly what she needed, which amounted to several items that fit in a knapsack that went on her shoulder. She ran a brush through her hair for one last time, and looked at herself in the mirror. She saw a tired face, one that had seen a lot many horrors in the short life she had lived. Most of them were brought on by herself, though, and she wouldn't allow herself to hurt Forrest the way she'd hurt herself.

Twenty minutes later, a cab was waiting for her outside. She rushed as quietly as she could down the stairs, shut the front door without letting the screen bang, and hurried out to the cab. The cab driver held open the door for her, but as she was getting in, she paused to have one last look at the house where her one true love lived. Her eyes strayed to where she knew Forrest was sleeping, with a sweet smile on his face.

"Where you running to?" the cabbie asked as she climbed in.

Her eyes left the house and she muttered, "I'm not running anywhere," and she slammed the door of the cab shut.

"Whatever you say, lady." The cabbie said sarcastically and he got in behind the wheel. "Where am I taking you?"

"The bus station." She said, taking her knapsack off of her back and setting it gently on the seat next to her. Once the cab was bump-bump-bumping along the country road and she was able to sit back and think, the worry settled in. What had she done? Sleeping with Forrest only to abandon him in the morning?

He'll understand, one part of her brain piped up. He's always understood. But then the other part of her brain chimed in. Exactly!, it said. He's always understood, so how can you take such advantage of him?

She didn't know the answer, so she just stared blankly out the window.

When the cab pulled up to the bus station, she threw a handful of money at the driver and got out, walking up to the ticket booth. "I need a bus ticket."

"Where to?" the cranky woman behind the counter asked.

"Uhh..." Crap. She hadn't really thought that far. She hadn't thought at all, beyond the need to get out of the situation she was in. Think quickly. She had an aunt and uncle in Georgia...where in Georgia, though? God what was it...some type of weather... "Thunderbolt!" She said triumphantly. "I need a bus ticket to Thunderbolt, Georgia."

"Fine. I've got one that leaves in an hour. You want it?" The woman grouched, snapping her gum irritatedly.

"Yes. Please." She took out a pile of money from her pocket.

"65 dollars."

Jenny handed over the money and grabbed the ticket from the woman and sat down, biting her nails. In an hour she'd be out of here, headed towards what had to be the only family she had left.

She hadn't spoken to her sisters in years, not since graduating high school. She hadn't spoken to her grandmother since she'd packed up with those hippies and moved to California. She had stopped by the place where her grandmother's trailer used to sit, only to find it gone, and in its place a tiny house not unlike the one she had lived in with her dreaded father. She had knocked on the door and asked about her grandma, and the people who owned the house said they'd bought it from a man who said that an old woman had passed away, and her trailer had been moved and the land had been developed for the house. She'd felt an incredible sadness, realizing it was just another bridge that her chaotic and unruly life had burned.

Three cups of crappy bus station coffee later, the hour had passed and she was on the bus. She was one of four passengers as the bus whizzed down the highway. She figured she might as well take a nap.

* * *

After the bus stopped in Thunderbolt, Jenny went to the nearest pay phone and grabbed the yellow pages. Her aunt's name was Irene, Irene Curran. She hadn't been married when Jenny was younger, and she could only hope that at the very least her last name hadn't changed. She perused the book for a few moments and came up with an Irene Curran. Fortunately the woman's address wasn't too far from the bus station.

As Jenny walked along the semi busy road, she thought to herself that this aunt of hers might think her crazy. She might turn her away, insisting that she leave and be gone from her life forever. But then what would she do? Truthfully she didn't know but she could only hope that Irene would take pity on her and let her stay until she found a job.

Back in the older days, she would've looked for a job as a stripper, or she'd find the nearest place to buy drugs and she'd do a bunch before selling even more. But she was older now. She was tired. She was sick of that lifestyle. Part of her missed it but even more of her wanted nothing to do with it.

A few hours later, she arrived at the address she'd marked on her hand that was Irene Curran's house. It was a lovely house, tiny but quaint, with a white picket fence and a garden off to the side. Jenny walked the length of the sidewalk and took a deep breath before ringing the bell.

After a few moments, a woman who looked to be about 65 or so answered the door. She had grey hair cut in a bob and was overweight, her belly sitting square on her with her apron folded over it. She appeared to have kindness oozing from her. Her eyes sought Jenny's out, mentally checking to see if she knew her. "Can I help you?" she asked quizzicaly.

"Actually, you might be able to." Jenny said. "My name's Jenny Curran. My father was Thomas Curran. I think I'm your niece."

The woman's face lit up with recognition when she heard the name Thomas. "Jennifer! Oh my goodness, well this is a surprise. I haven't seen you since you were knee high." Irene said jovially. "What brings you to Thunderbolt?"

Jenny took a deep breath. "I have nowhere else to go and I remember Daddy talking about his sister who lived in Thunderbolt. And I was wondering if I could stay here for a few days until I get a job and get a place of my own. I'm trying to start over." She said shyly.

Irene seemed to consider for a few moments, but then she smiled. "You're welcome here as long as you need to be here."

* * *

Jenny sighed in relief. "Thank you, so much Aunt Irene." She said happily. Well at least she had somewhere to stay.

A/N: What'd you think? R and R!


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